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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a restful few days with his family in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's twenty-ninth fixture of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Yet, the suggestion that Palace might prioritize other tournaments was quickly rejected by their head coach.

"No, I do not believe that," remarked Glasner after his team's side's four-one defeat to Leeds. "If somebody informs me that we are defeated on purpose, the next day I'm not the coach any more."

There is a clear difference in Glasner's strategy to cup competitions relative to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This first became clear during Palace's journey to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the club had already been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup when Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. In contrast, Glasner fielded his best team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, paving the way for a showdown with Arsenal.

That previous last-eight tie concluded in a 3-2 loss at the Emirates Stadium, due to a slightly controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, even though Palace having led at the interval. Now, Glasner must devise a plan for payback against the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was rescheduled to this week owing to European obligations.

A Cost of Achievement and European Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with a win in the FA Cup final subsequently ushered in the rigors of European football for the first time. These demands are taking a toll on several exhausted squad members, many of whom have barely had a rest all term.

The manager fielded an completely different side, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, for the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "little choice" but to choose the bulk of his preferred side, which appeared extremely jaded as they uncharacteristically let in four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he said.

The Gunners' Perspective and Team Considerations

On Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the situation are distinct. The boss must balance his desire to win a second major trophy with extreme practicality. Last year, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka suffered in a league game versus Palace just days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly harmed their title hopes.

Arteta had made a number of changes for that League Cup match but was compelled to introduce his "key players" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to assist Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.

Arsenal have an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a subsequent league win before suffering a long-term knee injury, is expected to start for the first time since then injury. Arteta disclosed the striker wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "I think this week was the only full week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be similar. We have a wonderful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

With key players coming back from injury and a determination to progress, Arsenal present a daunting challenge for a Crystal Palace side desperately in need of rejuvenation as the festive schedule intensifies.